Kenny de Meirleir
Kenny de Meirleir is a Belgian medical doctor best known for his work on chronic fatigue syndrome, including the book Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach which he co-edited with Patrick Englebienne. He currently serves as medical director at the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Reno, Nevada.
Education and career
De Meirleir gained his medical degree from the VUB in Brussels in 1977, and completed an internal medicine residency in the Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Vrije Universiteit, Brussels.He is among the authors of over 92 published scientific articles, most of them related to CFS.
Controversy
Legal proceedings
In 2009, an investigation was launched into De Meirleir regarding the unauthorized importation of the drug Nexavir, which he intended to use in the treatment of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. The case did not come to court until nine years later. The court issued a simple guilty verdict, a ruling under Belgian law where the defendant is found guilty but no sentence is imposed due to excessive delay in prosecution.Financial concerns
Ethical concerns have been raised about De Meirleir's financial ties to the companies that sell the tests and treatments he prescribes. Companies like RED Laboratories and Kalida, where his wife was a director, have been linked to these financial interests.Publications
Books:- Kenny De Meirleir, Patrick Englebienne, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach,
- Kenny De Meirleir, Neil Mcgregor, Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
- Michel Osteaux, Kenny de Meirleir, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy in Sports Medicine,
- Meeusen, Romain, and Kenny De Meirleir. "Exercise and brain neurotransmission." Sports Medicine 20, no. 3 : 160-188.